The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to the management and security of cables used for connecting information handling systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
IHSs are typically connected to each other using cables. For example, switch IHSs may connect to IHSs such as server IHSs, storage IHS, and/or a wide variety of other IHSs known in the art using networking cables such as Ethernet cables, Fibre Channel cables, and/or a wide variety of other cables or cabling systems known in the art. The management of such cables is often a challenge, particularly in large IHS networks such as data centers, as once a cable has been connected to a first IHS in a data center, it may be unclear which second IHS is connected to the other end of that cable. Furthermore, as IHSs are added, removed, and/or reconfigured in the data center, it can become complicated and time consuming to ensure that cables are properly connecting IHSs in the data center, and cables may be left unused (e.g., deployed in the data center, but unconnected to an IHS on at least one end, unconnected to IHSs on either end, etc.) without the knowledge of a data center administrator. Further still, even when unused cables are properly stored in the data center, the length and/or quality of any particular cable may be difficult or time consuming to determine. The lack of management of cables in a data center results in wasted resources and can pose a security risk, as unauthorized cables may be connected to IHSs in the data center without the data center administrator's knowledge, allowing unauthorized devices access to IHSs in the data center.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved cable management and security system.